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A week that offers some brilliant, responsible cinema

ZIYA US SALAM

A TREAT FOR THE SENSES: Neeraj Pandey’s “A Wednesday!” and Santosh Sivan’s “Tahaan” offer a feast for cinemagoers this week.

A TREAT FOR THE SENSES: Neeraj Pandey’s “A Wednesday!” and Santosh Sivan’s “Tahaan” offer a feast for cinemagoers this week.

A WEDNESDAY!

(At Spice, Noida, and other theatres in Delhi and elsewhere)

Why does the “common man” shy away from growing a beard these days? Why does a man have to think about a “suitable name” for his new office or shop so that it won’t be attacked during the next riots? Why do many wives have to worry whether the husband would come back home tonight rather than merely having to remind him to have lunch on time and pick up vegetables on the way back home?

Director Neeraj Pandey dares to air unmentionable things in “A Wednesday!” -- a film that gives a new dimension to multiplex cinema. Rather than being just a goody-goody exercise for the well-heeled, it can also express urban angst, aspirations and apprehensions.

Three cheers -- no, just short of that -- to Neeraj for coming up with a film that has a racy momentum, a focused narration and a tightly woven script that allows for no stopovers to ogle and shake a leg. A brave new film that has no songs but makes a telling statement on what it is to be a Muslim in today’s world: suspected by law enforcement agencies; often avoided at the time of giving away property on rent or selling it; serious, respectable, but nowhere to go.

Yet Neeraj does not take the sermonising approach. No essays here on communal amity or pluralist spirit of the land. Instead, he starts it all as yet another bomb blast story. There is a bomb waiting to explode in front of a police station. There are four others in different parts of the city. As the Police Commissioner gets the dreaded calls, there is panic. The bombs will explode if four dreaded militants are not released, warns the would-be killer. The negotiator means business, so won’t settle for some lowly orderly to represent the Government. Seems the work of some militant organisation trying to free its activists thrown behind the bars? Well, not necessarily, as Neeraj’s film proves. Kandahar hijack is the farthest thing from his mind.

Rather than talking of sundry militant outfits, he focuses on the common man, the man who must raise his voice at being used and abused; the man who must finally give expression to his feeling of being discriminated against. Remember, after every blast, be it outside a temple or a mosque, only people of a certain community are rounded up by the cops.

Neeraj is helped greatly by two of his leading performers. The seasoned Naseeruddin Shah as the tech-savvy would-be killer is, well, a killer. In easily one of the most memorable performances of his long eventful career, he imparts new nuances to the role of a man holding the State to ransom. He is matched almost expression for expression by Anupam Kher as the Police Commissioner who must act before it is too late. Not to forget a fine helping hand by Amir Bashir as Inspector Jai, and Jimmy Shergill as Inspector Arif.

Why not three full-throated cheers, then? Simply because the end is a little simplistic, and a shade too sudden. And the director leaves a few loopholes along the way. For instance, he equivocates in the realms of grey rather than take a stand in black and white.

Let’s allow him human failures. Otherwise, “A Wednesday!” is absolutely compulsory viewing this Sunday.

TAHAAN

(At PVR Saket, New Delhi, and other theatres)

Come to the path of Allah, come for prayers, come for success. With this simple invocation begins director-cinematographer Santosh Sivan’s visual poem “Tahaan”, a film set in Kashmir. And it goes on to narrate the story of a little boy, Tahaan, who loses his donkey and sets out to get it back. Along the way, there are nice asides about growing up next to guns, the indifference to arms it promotes among the young, the innocent lack of fear in handling gren ades. Above all, there is a nice peek into the power of dreams, of hope residing eternal in human heart.

Importantly, again, the director uses the power of prayer to guide the little boy. At the beginning of the film, the faithful invoke the Lord to show me the right path, not the path of those led astray! This is a prayer that is to come to the rescue of the little boy later in the film. A far cry from Mani Ratnam’s “Bombay” which too used the same verses in an inappropriate manner, Santosh uses the words for their heeling effect, as a guiding force for the boy, who in his quest to get his donkey back is befriend by a young militant. The boy would get the donkey back if he could carry grenades from one village to another! He does not quite understand the significance of his action. The only pointer is provided by the verses in the background. We know the kiddo won’t do anything wrong, but the journey is exhilarating.

Director Santosh frequently yields to the innovative cinematographer in him and we get to see some absolutely marvellous shots of Pahalgam, the still lake, the beauty of the ruins, the joy of a quiet sunset, even the brilliant game of hide-and-seek between sunlight and shadow. Fallen leaves speak, still waters emote. All appropriate as a feast for the eyes. And the film with a riveting performance by new kid Purav Bhandare and an able helping hand from Anupam Kher as the man who buys the donkey, is ably supported by Rahul Bose as his assistant. A poignant note is added by Sarika as the kid’s mom and Victor Banerji as the father, who instils in him the power of a dream.

Responsible cinema, brilliant cinema.

HIJACK

(At Regal, Delhi, and other theatres)

Here is an inauspicious debut! Director Kunal Shivdasani’s “Hijack” is just a misfit in this week of some beautiful offerings from Bollywood. Starring the luckless Shiney Ahuja and Esha Deol, “Hijack” has nothing going for it.

Not even the subject. Come on, many years and films have passed since the Kandahar hijack drama. This one here is a stale cake with no toppings, no cherries. For the record, though, Shiney plays a pilot whose plane is hijacked. He must make amends for his past mistake and rescue all, his kiddo included. Miss Expressionless Esha plays an air-hostess, the only one capable of assisting him. Before getting their act together in the nick of time, they go back in time to sing romantic songs and give the audience a well deserved break.

Actually, they could have done better. The audience could have been spared the monotonous, yawn-inducing saga altogether!

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